KUALA LUMPUR, 7 May 2007 – Dr. Jim Goodnight, founder and CEO of SAS Institute, the world’s leading business intelligence (BI) software provider, has been appointed to the International Advisory Panel (IAP) for MSC Malaysia. The MSC Malaysia IAP has been set up to provide counsel to the Malaysian Government on legislation and policies, develop MSC Malaysia-specific practices, and set breakthrough standards for multimedia operations.

Jimmy Cheah, Managing Director of SAS Malaysia, lauded this latest MSC Malaysia-IAP appointment as a synergistic catalyst for both SAS (currently the BI leader in Malaysia with 29 per cent market share for 2006 as reported by IDC Asia/Pacific Business Intelligence Software Tracker, 2H 2006), and the MSC Malaysia to achieve their objectives.

“The vision of the MSC Malaysia is to transform Malaysia into a knowledge society by 2020; and SAS’ initiatives to develop local talent in ICT via SAS’ accreditation programs can serve to meet this very vision. In addition, our championing of predictive analytics in Government and the private sector will see effective use of information as a competitive edge to raise the level of performances against global players.”

“Indeed, the appointment of Dr. Goodnight to the MSC Malaysia-IAP is very significant for SAS Malaysia because in addition to SAS contributing towards policies and decisions concerning the development of ICT in Malaysia, SAS is able to advocate the fact that in Corporate Malaysia today business intelligence is now one of the top boardroom priorities to gain competitive edge,” he adds.

“As we progress to the next stage of development and propelling forward aggressively, I’m sure we can tap on Goodnight’s experience and skills for the betterment of MSC Malaysia and ensure it continues to be the choice of investors looking at talented K-workers with balanced mix of expertise, industrial knowledge and experience,” said Badlisham.

Created in 1996, the MSC Malaysia is a government-designated district comprising nearly 300 square miles of land and now home to more than 1750 multinational, foreign-owned and home-grown Malaysian companies.

The MSC Malaysia advisory panel consists of corporate leaders, scholars and top members of international think tanks who offer counsel to the Malaysian government in managing the MSC Malaysia. Members of the panel work to ensure that Malaysian officials implement policies that encourage companies from around the globe to invest in the MSC Malaysia. Thanks to the guidance of its panel members, the MSC Malaysia has grown into a hub for information and communication technology companies, regionally.

Dr Jim Goodnight will be making his inaugural visit to Malaysia on June 28th, and is expected to leverage his new MSC Malaysia-IAP council appointment as a platform to meet with key officials in government and MDeC.

Dr Jim Goodnight

Dr Jim Goodnight has been at the helm of SAS since the company’s incorporation in 1976, and has overseen an unbroken chain of revenue growth â€“ feat almost unheard of in the software industry. SAS is among the world’s largest privately owned software companies. Today, SAS is best known for sifting massive mountains of data for FORTUNE 500 companies and other organizations most people have heard of; and is renowned for its corporate culture, which has made SAS a fixture on “Best Places to Work” lists â€“ including FORTUNE’s.

Dr. Goodnight is an active speaker and participant at the World Economic Forum, and was appointed to the Atlantic Council of the United States President’s International Advisory Group in dedication to this excellence in Business. In 2004, Harvard Business School named Dr. Goodnight as one of the “20th Century’s Great American Business Leaders” for his three decades of leading a business that has changed the way Americans have lived, worked and interacted in the 20th century.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in business intelligence and analytical software and services. Customers at 43,000 sites use SAS software to improve performance through insight from data, resulting in faster, more accurate business decisions; more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; compliance with governmental regulations; research breakthroughs; and better products and processes. Only SAS offers leading data integration, storage, analytics and business intelligence applications within a comprehensive enterprise intelligence platform. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®. www.sas.com